Ballet RI is proud to unveil its 2025–26 Season—a bold, expansive year of live performance across six theatres in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. With 54 opportunities to experience the power of dance, Season 48 reflects Ballet RI’s continued growth as a leading voice in the performing arts across New England.
“This season is a celebration of connection,” said Artistic Executive Director Kahleen Breen Combes. “By performing in diverse venues throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts and forging new collaborative opportunities, we’re reaching more audiences and building a vibrant, accessible future for ballet. We’re not just rooted in Rhode Island—we’re elevating the art form for the entire region.”
Woodman Center at Moses Brown & United Theater | Oct 24–26 & Nov 1, 2025
In a unique partnership between dance and visual art, three world-premiere choreographies by Yury Yanowsky, John Lam, and Emily Mistretta come to life, each inspired by works from the Westerly Museum’s collection of American Impressionism. Through movement, color, and emotion, these new ballets translate brushstrokes into bodies—bringing paintings off the wall and onto the stage in a celebration of light, landscape, and artistic expression.
The VETS | Dec 19–28, 2025
Perfect for all ages, a cherished holiday tradition returns with sparkle, magic, and Rhode Island flair. Join Clara on her enchanting journey from a festive Christmas Eve party to the dazzling Land of Sweets, where toy soldiers battle, snowflakes swirl, and dreams dance to life. With stunning choreography by Yury Yanowsky, beloved Tchaikovsky music, and a cast of Ballet RI company dancers and local youth, The Nutcracker is a timeless celebration of wonder, imagination, and the joy of the season.
Ballet RI Black Box Theatre | Feb 7–20, 2026
All new works choreographed by Ballet Rhode Island artists, imagining the next era of human connection, environment, and expression.
Ballet RI Black Box Theatre | Feb 8–22, 2026
Join Gwendolyn and Omar, two dancing pigs with big dreams, as they leap from their small town to the bright lights of Hollywood! Based on David Ira Rottenberg’s charming book, this delightful children’s ballet is full of humor, heart, and toe-tapping fun for the whole family.
Woodman Center at Moses Brown & Bristol Community College | Mar 20–29 & Apr 25–26
Striking contrast and kinetic beauty, Pure Dance celebrates the power, precision, and poetry of the moving body. From the effervescent brilliance of George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante to the meditative intimacy of Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy, to the raw, contemporary pulse of Yury Yanowsky’s Fading Creatures, this program reveals the body as both instrument and storyteller. Three choreographers. Three unique voices. One unforgettable journey through movement.
Ballet RI Black Box Theatre & University of Rhode Island | May 8–10 & 14–17, 2026
In a world that demands silence, she moves. Sophie Treadwell’s searing 1928 play, a landmark of American expressionism, is reborn in this striking new ballet. Machinal tells the story of a woman caught in the cold machinery of modern life: her body controlled, her voice ignored, her choices not her own. Through stylized choreography and haunting rhythms, this adaptation strips away dialogue to reveal the raw, physical truth of one woman’s rebellion. Stark, visceral, and fiercely contemporary, Machinal is a portrait of alienation—and a dance of defiance.
In collaboration with University of Rhode Island and co-adapter Rachel Walshe, Yury Yanowsky breathes new life into this theatrical masterwork.
Season subscriptions will go on sale on June 30.
Single tickets will go on sale on August 11.
Featured Photo: Ballet RI Company Artists Styles Dykes and Tara McCally. Photography by Ian Travis Barnard. Creative by Sage Hill Designs.
